1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method and an apparatus for continuously carring out weight reducing and mercerizing processes for a cloth material by passing the cloth material through a single unit of a high pressure steamer.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A weight reducing process for a cloth material which consists 100 percent of a synthetic fiber or contains a synthetic fiber to a certain degree is well known. However, the conventional weight reducing process is inefficient because it is carried out under a humid heat of 100.degree. C. or below and thus takes a long period of time (about 10 hours for example). Further, in the case of a weight reducing process by a conventional hanging method, it not only takes a long period of time but also results in uneven quality of products.
A mercerization process for a cotton cloth material or cotton yarn is also known. However, the conventional mercerization process has been carried out separately from other processes and thus has required a great amount of heat energy, much labor, etc. This has resulted in a high cost of the manufacture of textile products obtained through the mercerization process.
The present invention is directed to the solution of the problems of these conventional processes.